A New Zealand study recent brought to light a rather surprising fact. According to his results, people with the thinnest retinal layers are more likely to fail cognitive performance tests. This study could help to better predict the risks of Alzheimer's disease.
According to the Médéric Alzheimer Foundation, Alzheimer's disease (or a related disease) currently affects about sixty million people . Predictions indicate that this number will exceed 150 million in 2050. Currently, there is no treatment that can cure or even slow down this disease. However, some avenues are being explored, such as viagra or a vaccine undergoing clinical testing. In the absence of valid treatment and due to the increase in the prevalence of the disease, one of the objectives of research is to identify the hidden signs that can better predict the risks in patients.
Published in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology on February 10, 2022, a study looked at the retina, for example. Researchers at the University of Otago (New Zealand) indeed associate the thinning of the retina in middle age to cognitive performance. The results of this work suggest that in the more or less near future, a simple eye test could be a way to predict the risk of Alzheimer's. It must be said that identifying these people at a preclinical stage would make it possible to intervene earlier.
The study provides an analysis of the data from the Dunedin experience. Conducted in New Zealand in the early 1970s, it concerned one thousand newborns. Half a century later, in 2020, scientists have chosen a subgroup consisting of 865 adults who underwent ocular scans at the age of 45. The volunteers also underwent neuropsychological testing during childhood and adulthood. It should be remembered in passing that ocular scintigraphy is a type of examination providing the means to diagnose certain diseases very early.
According to researchers, patients with thinner retinal layers failed more on cognitive performance tests. However, it is important to emphasize that the thinning of the retina and the overall decline in cognitive performance do not necessarily have a link with the occurrence of a neurodegenerative disease. It may indeed simply be a sign of old age.
Nevertheless, some previous studies have already demonstrated that retinal thickness can be an indicator of the overall brain health , in terms of cognitive decline and diagnosis of dementia. Finally, the New Zealand researchers indicate that artificial intelligence could one day prove useful in conducting tests and predicting the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
